Welcome to the Washington State Human Rights Commission

Toll Free: 1-800-233-3247
TTY: 1-800-300-7525

Interpreters available upon request. Please state the language of service needed when calling our office. Para Español marque dos.

Reasonable accomodation for disability. Please call our 800 number.

The Washington State Human Rights Commission will no longer be conducting "walk-in" interviews at the Olympia Office. To speak with a staff member, please call 360-753-6770 or 1-800-233-3247. Complaint forms are still available at the Olympia Office in the reception area and on this website.

The Washington Supreme Court held that the Washington Law Against Discrimination (WLAD) requires employers to make reasonable accommodations for their employee’s religious practices.

The case involved a lawsuit by employees of an airport concessionaire who were not permitted to bring their own meals to work for security reasons, and who challenged their employer’s failure to provide meals consistent with their religious beliefs. The majority reasoned that although WLAD differs from its federal statutory counterpart in not explicitly requiring that an employer make reasonable accommodation of employees’ religious beliefs, such a requirement was implied in WLAD’s prohibition on religious discrimination.

The Supreme Court overturned a 2012 Court of Appeals opinion in doing so, relying in part on arguments made in an amicus brief filed on behalf of the (Washington State) Human Rights Commission.

The Washington State Human Rights Commission is a state agency that enforces the Washington Law Against Discrimination. It is a violation of Washington law for a person to be discriminated against on the basis of race, color, creed, national origin, sex, sexual orientation/gender identity, age, disability, use of a dog guide or trained service animal due to a disability, familial status, marital status, honorably discharged veteran and military status, or status as a breastfeeding mother. If an individual believes that he or she has been discriminated because of a protected basis, he or she can file a complaint with the Commission.

• DSHS sponsors CapTel public service announcements through Washington Relay
A free, captioned telephone service thatenables the use of voice-recognition technology to translate spoken messages into text captions is now available to low-income Washington residents. For more information click TED

“Charter schools play an important role in the educational landscape and are serving more and more students all over the country,” said Catherine E. Lhamon, assistant secretary for civil rights. “Since our last guidance on the topic in 2000, thousands of new charter schools have opened. This guidance underscores that charter schools must satisfy the requirements of the federal civil rights laws.”

The mission of the Washington State Human Rights Commission is to eliminate
and prevent discrimination through the fair application of the law, the
efficient use of resources, and the establishment of productive partnerships
in the community.